Uruguay will have the largest cigarette warnings in the world, which will cover 80 per cent of the front and back of packages.

The new warnings will appear on cigarette packages in Uruguay on March 1, 2010.

Currently, warnings in Uruguay cover 50 per cent of the front and back of cigarette packages. Uruguay takes the lead over Mauritius, which has warnings that cover 60 per cent of the front and 70 per cent of the back of cigarette packages.

On September 1, 2009 Uruguay finalized the ministerial ordinance 466/2009 to require a new set of six graphic warnings that will cover 80 per cent of the front and back of cigarette packages. The new graphic images must appear on packages 180 days from the issuance of the ordinance, which is March 1, 2010.

The ordinance also requires copy on the side of a package (in black on white) to say: "Este producto contiene nicotina, alquitran y monoxide de carbone". In English this means: "This product contains nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide."